the living world

• an ecosystem is all the biotic and abiotic parts of an area
• a producer uses sunlight energy to produce food
• a consumer gets it energy by eating plants and animals
• a decomposer gets its energy by breaking down dead material
• nutrient cycle= dead material decomposes and brings nutrients to the soil, nutrients are taken up by plants, plants are eaten by animals and the nutrients are returned to the soil when they die and decompse
• temperate deciduous forest: found in the mid latitudes where there are four seasons
• polar- found in the north and south poles
• hot desert- found between 15 and 35 degrees north and south of the equator, hot during day and cold at night
• tropical rainforest: found around the earths equator, hot and wet, high rainfall
• boreal forest: found 50- 60 degrees north of the equator, winters are cold and dry, summers are mild and moist, trees are carnivorous
• coniferous- trees that are evergreen and have needles
• tundra: found at high latiudes, cold, dry, no trees, permafrost
• savannah grassland are found between the tropics, have distinct dry and wet seasons, and are dominated by grasses
• temperate grassland are found at higher latitudes where there is more variation in the seasons, no trees